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Tuesday, 29 January 2008

A father is proud of his new baby son, takes photographs, throws the child into the air in sheer joy. However babies grow up and a father's patience can become strained. When they really grow up and tower over the parent, the son will not necessarily accept admonishment for misdeeds. What happens when both adults throw a tantrum and storm out of the house? Do they fall out of love with each other? One of four students selected from the very talented pool of talent enrolled at L'École Émile Cohl for the "compil des profs" and awarded the "Recommendation Prize" is Jean-Charles Mbotti-Malolo's graduation movie, Le Coeur Est Un Métronome. It is an assured piece, quite moving in its own way, particularly the conclusion. Jean-Charles has genuine artistic talent and the four minute animation is professional and possessing of an effervescent quality and spark. The zip in the young man's stride as he jumps over cars, slides down bannisters and kisses a stranger's cheek is infectious. But it is the street dance routines that entertain and mark the movie out as special - slick, rhythmic movements, quite perfectly animated and indeed choreographed, as father and son perform together almost despite themselves. I hazard a guess that we will see much more of Jean-Charles' work in the not too distant future. Watch the movie to the end and spot the photograph of what I take to be Jean-Charles' parents. A son to be proud of and a movie to put a spring in your step.